MiG-21M: Backbone of the LSK

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Overview
The MiG-21M was an upgraded export version of the MiG-21S. It shared most features with the MiG-21S, including airframe, avionics, and engine. However, it was the first MiG-21 variant to feature a built-in GSh-23L cannon, allowing the usage of the under-fuselage hardpoint without sacrificing cannon armament. 89 were purchased by the LSK, making the MiG-21M the most numerically significant MiG-21 variant in East German service.

*In the 1980s, MiG-21Ms were upgraded to carry R-60s, and many were additionally fitted with RP-22 radars and/or R-13-300 engines, bringing them more or less in-line with the MiG-21MF. For balance and progression reasons, this is not the configuration discussed

History

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The MiG-21, Briefly
The first generation of MiG-21s, the F and F-13, were conventional gunfighters later supplemented by a pair of R-3S missiles. The following MiG-21PF was an all-missile interceptor with the internal cannon removed, the idea at the time being that cannons were obsolete. The PF also introduced an uprated R-11FS-300 engine and a number of aerodynamic improvements offering increased flight performance. This was followed by a modification, the PFM, with a belly-mounted gunpod in place of the ordinarily fitted fuel tank. In German service, this variant was designated the SPS-K to avoid confusion with an earlier avionics upgrade to the PF that had already taken the PFM designation. The final member of the second generation of MiG-21s was the MiG-21S, based on the PFM but with a new RP-22 radar, increased fuel capacity, and new wings with double the hardpoints at four. This version was unique as it was never exported. Some were later refitted with R-13-300 engines as found in-game.

Third Generation
Even with these upgrades, the MiG-21 had room to grow. Avionics and engine power had fallen far behind Western counterparts, and the gunpod of the second-gen aircraft was heavy and high-drag. The gunpod also reduced range as it blocked out the ventral fuel tank. While the MiG-21S somewhat addressed this by plumbing the new wing pylons to allow fuel tanks there, this then reduced missile carriage.
So in the late 60s MiH began developing a pair of new MiG-21 variants, the SM for domestic use and the M for export. Both were based on the S and were had essentially identical structure except for featuring a built-in GSh-23L. The M featured an RP-21MA radar, this being the older RP-21 largely upgraded to RP-22 standard as well as the same R-11FS(K)-300 as previous generations. The SM meanwhile was similar except mounting the RP-22 radar and fitted with the new, more powerful R-13-300 engine. The SM can be found in-game in its export version the MF, and also formed the basis for the SMT. Because of the increased complexity of the SM, the MiG-21M entered production first, making it the first third-generation MiG-21.

Service
East Germany ordered a total of 89 MiG-21Ms with deliveries in 1969 and 1970. These MiG-21s were received poorly by pilots despite their avionics and weapon upgrades- the M was heavier than the SPS-K but powered by the same engine, resulting in reduced flight performance. Nonetheless, the MiG-21M formed the primary fighter component fo the LSK, at least for a few years. The introduction of the MiG-21MF in 1972 and the MiG-21bis in 1975 meant that the MiG-21M’s time as a fighter was limited. When these superior variants entered service, the MiG-21M was relegated to secondary roles such as strike, ground attack, reconnaissance, and even nuclear strike. The MiG-21M would serve in these roles until Reunification, when the MiG-21Ms were briefly transferred to Luftwaffe storage before being scrapped or donated to various museums and private collectors.

Specifications:

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Airframe
Length: 13.58m
Span: 7.15m
Height: 4.13m
Wing area: 22.95m^2
Empty weight: 5,950kg
Loaded weight: 7,062kg
Takeoff weight: 7,750kg
MTOW: 9,400kg

Powerplant
1x R-11F2SK-300
38.3kN max thrust without afterburner
60.6kN max thrust with afterburner
1.07 max TWR (empty mass, WEP)

2x SPRD-99 JATO pods
Adjustable thrust: 12.56-31.69kN (each)
Adjustable burn time: 17.8s-9.8s
*I’d recommend something on the higher thrust, shorter burn time end

Avionics
RP-21MA radar
SPO-3M RWR

Flight performance
Maximum speed (11km): 2,230km/h (Mach 2.1)
Maximum speed (sea level): 1,203km/h (Mach 0.97)
Max climb rate: 160m/s
Max g load: +12/-6

Armament
GSh-23L
23mm twin-barrel Gast cannon
23x115mm
710m/s
3,396RPM
200 rounds ammunition

Underwing pylons x4
Total max load: 1,200kg
1x R-3S
1x R-3R

1x R-13M

The R-13M is an improved version of the R-3S missile using technology from captured AIM-9Ds. It can be seen as a middle ground between the AIM-9D and E, with moderately improved flight performance but also an uncaged seeker. Alternatively, it’s a slower, shorter-ranged AIM-9G with less overload and no radar slaving. Unlike its successor the R-13M1, the R-13M was widely exported and served as the primary IR missile for Warsaw Pact nations between its introduction in the early 70s until the mid 80s when the R-60 became available. The R-13M has actually been added and removed from the game on several occasions.
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a

1x RS-2US

Beam-riding multi-purpose missile. Designed to destroy both air and ground targets, it was not particularly effective at either.

1x OFAB-100
4x OFAB-100 (inner pylons only)
1x OFAB-250sv
1x OFAB-500M-54 (inner pylons only)
1x S-24
1x UB-16 (16x S-5K)
1x UB-32 (32x S-5K)

The MiG-21M has CCIP for cannons and rockets.

490L drop tanks for the belly and outer wing hardpoints

The MiG-21M in-game
The MiG-21M would be an all-around good fighter with decent secondary strike capabilities. I’d place it at a BR of 10.0 between the MiG-19S and MiG-21MF, filling the substantial 9.3-10.7 fighter gap that Germany has.

Pros:

  • Still highly agile and with decent speed and climb rate
  • Excellent missile armament
  • GSh-23L has high fire rate and damage output
  • SPO-3M RWR

Cons:

  • Lowest flight performance of any MiG-21 except perhaps the F-13
  • No countermeasures*
  • GSh-23L has low velocity and limited ammunition
  • SPO-3M is extremely limited

*The MiG-21M is physically capable of mounting the SPS-141 pod. However, it seems that it lacked the systems to actually make use of it, these only being fitted to the bis and MF-75. Then again, the SPS-K gets the 141 in-game so I could be wrong.

Gallery

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The MiG-21M can be distinguished from the MF or bis by the lack of a periscope atop the canopy


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SPRD-99 RATO pods were compatible with every MiG-21 variant from the PFM onwards and were widely used. Might give the relatively sluggish MiG-21M (and other MiGs) a bit of help getting off the runway

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Standard armament was a pair of R-3Rs and a pair of R-13Ms. Soviet doctrine had an IR missile followed up by a SARH missile to increase the probability of at least one hitting


MiG-21M post-reunification



Like other MiG-21s (and Soviet Bloc aircraft in general, and not just in German service), the MiG-21Ms were originally bare metal to save weight, but were later painted to reduce wear and corrosion


German MiG-21s: from left, MF, M, SPS-K, F-13

Sources

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https://www.mig-21-online.de/
https://www.mig-21.de
MiG-21- Yefim Gordon
[1.0] MiG-21 Single-Seat Variants (airvectors.net)
Mikojan i Guriewicz MiG-21 M. 2009. - Polot
Mikojan i Guriewicz MiG-21 M. 2010. - Polot
Mikojan i Guriewicz MiG-21 M. 2011. - Polot

4 Likes

This gets a +1 from me. Will you also be suggesting the late configuration?

not soon, no. Maybe at some point in the future but for now I’ve got quite a waitlist of suggestions I want to make, based on what I feel is needed for trees.
Up next: Hungarian Strelas, T23 medium, and Hurricane IIC

2 Likes

+1 nice to have, probably will sit at 10.0, since MF is 10.7

+1, with the recent decompression change there is more space to add incremental modifications and variants to the game. This reminds me of an idea floated around for the addition of the MiG-21SM in the Soviet tree between the F-13 and SMT.

Yes, the one problem would be the SM has the more powerful R-13 engine. It’s identical to the MF. I think the S would be more comparable, though with the S (R-13-300) already in-game IDK if thats likely

Basically, the S getting R-13Ms definitely would mean that the S (R-13-300) should get 13Ms, becuase having a later model with worse weapons would be really strange. Then that raises the question of BR- at 10.0 the R-13-300 would be a blatant pay-to-win while at 10.3 it would really struggle, and the Soviets don’t have many good premium fighters.
I think the best solution would to remove the S (R-13-300) and replace it with an SM at 10.3, just a MF without countermeasures (R-3R, R-13M, R-60). Then the S (R-11F2S-200) could slide into 10.0 alongside the M.

1 Like

Fair enough.

+1
They should not have skipped this MiG-21.

4 Likes

Absolutely. It’s both historically significant as East Germany’s most numerous jet fighter and fills an empty niche in the German TT.

Limited to rear-aspect only missiles? R-3R/S and R-13M1 or also R-60s?
Also, what’s the difference between R-13M (in specs) and R-13M1?

R-3S, R-3R, and R-13M
No R-13M1, R-60, or R-60MK
R-13M is pretty similar to the M1 but no radar slaving and a 15g overload instead of 20. I think it’s also a bit slower and shorter ranged but I’d have to double-check.
Edit: the M is actually slightly faster because it is a few kilos lighter. But the M1 also has a better seeker with higher track rate and tighter FoV

1 Like

it’s kind of funny right. The difference between an S and an SM (iirc) is the engine, the S has the R11F2S-300, and the SM has the R-13-300. The only thing keeping our S from being called an SM is that it doesn’t have an inbuilt cannon.

1 Like

+1 Add more fighter aircraft rank VI

goeie-more-gm

1 Like

-1 Too dumb, we don’t need more MiG-21s

You can never have too many Migs, just as you can never have enough Phantoms or F-5s

1 Like

Ok lets get the F-4B Phantom II, F-4D Phantom II, F-4E Phantom II (With AIM-1202 & AIM-9Ms), and a F-4G Phantom II, and the F-4N Phantom II, F-4A Phantom II

then make som suggestions, brother.
Though the F-4E never carried AMRAAMs nor AIM-9M

1 Like

F-4E from USAF never launched AIM-120 AMRAAM

F-4E in 80’s from Air National Guard mounted AIM-9M ?

Might be early premium GE at rank 7 for USA, my guess

In a folder with F-4E

80’s F-4E from Air National Guard ?

I don’t know wild weasel aircraft could add to fighter aircraft line or strike aircraft

In my opinion, before F-4J

Maybe premium GE or next premium pack rank 6 ?

Yes to almost all of these. Also, they’ve mostly already been suggested:

  • F-4B
  • F-4D
  • F-4E 1983-spec – AIM-7F, AIM-9L, more sensor pods, guided munitions and bombs
  • F-4G – no suggestion yet, but one could be written. Here’s a discussion thread though.
  • F-4N
  • F-4S 1984-spec – similar to the F-4E above
  • F-4A (F4H-1) hasn’t been brought up for WT afaik, that could be something for an event but not mainline or TT. Would be weird balancing its flight performance and weapons.
2 Likes